Alpine / West Menlo Little League has served the families of Menlo Park, Woodside, and Portola Valley for more than a half-century. Our mission is to be an outstanding community organization that creates a culture where kids of all abilities love playing

Majors is a competitive league for which a player must tryout. While the emphasis on winning in Majors is still age-appropriate (in alignment with The Positive Coaching Alliance™), the competition is more intense than in Minors. Younger kids will get more opportunity to pitch and play a variety of positions in Minors, whereas in Majors they will tend to focus their skill development on 1 or 2 positions. Majors is a much more significant time commitment than Minors and it is expected that baseball is the primary sport.
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What kind of time commitment is required for Majors?

During pre-season, the commitment usually includes three mandatory practices a week. During the regular season, there will be two or three mandatory games a week, a mandatory practice and sometimes two. A player cannot miss more than 6 games during the regular season (18 games) or they are required to be replaced. If a player is playing on another team outside Little League, it is expected Little League will be the priority. Practices and games should not be missed for other baseball activities.

Does everybody get to play the same amount of time in a game?

No. Local Little League rules assure each child will play at least three innings. However, the amount of playing time is usually determined by the child's age, skill level, attitude, attendance at practices and development. Typically a manager will play their top 6 players (usually the most experienced 11-12 yr olds) the entire game and play the remaining 6 players (usually the younger players) the minimum three innings. Most coaches do not rotate players to different positions very often and it is not unusual for the younger players to play the whole season in the outfield.

When will I find out if I am drafted?

The Major League and Minor League draft will take place in the first week of February. Players will be notified immediately after.

How are players evaluated at tryouts?

“Tryouts” are a baseball and athletic skills evaluation for all 8-12 year olds playing either Minors or Majors. The child and parent need to decide if they are trying out for Majors and then designate this choice during registration. During the evaluation, the coaches will know whether your child has chosen to play Minors or Majors. If your child changes their choice (Minors or Majors) after registration, you need to let us know ASAP.

The following is an overview of the evaluation process at the tryouts. Baseball consists of several distinct skill sets. The most important of which are throwing and fielding. Hitting is important, although secondary. Running quickness and speed, although important, are not absolutely crucial. There are several distinct stations at the tryouts.

The fielding station attempts to assess the player's quickness and reaction to the ball, his ability to field the ball and his ability to throw. This is the most important part of tryouts. The next station in importance is pitching. The purpose is to try to assess the player's specific skills in throwing the ball at a very precise target. The hitting drill assesses the player's coordination and hitting a moving object. The running station measures speed and quickness. Finally, there is a set of questions the coaches will ask the players in an attempt to get to know the child better and to determine the child's commitment to baseball.